NATURE 



433 



THURSDAY, SEPTEMIiER lo, 



RECENT ORNITHOLOGY. 

 A Vertebrate Fauna of the Moray Basin. By J. A. 

 Harvie-Brown, F.R.S.E., and T. E. Buckley, B.A., 

 F Z.S. 2 vols. Pp. XX + 262 and 309. (Edinburgh : 

 David Douglas, 1895.) 

 British BirdJ Nests : //ow, where, and when to find and 

 identify tliem. By R. Kearton, author of " Birds' 

 Nests, Eggs, and Egg Collecting." Introduction by 

 R. Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D. Illustrated from Photo- 

 graphs, by C. Kearton, of Nests, Eggs, Young, &c., in 

 their Natural Situations and Surroundings. Pp. xx + 

 368. (London, Paris, and Melbourne : Cassell and 

 Co., Ltd., 1895.) 

 British Sea Birds. By Charles Di.xon. With eight 

 illustrations by Charles Whymper. Pp. ix + 295. 

 (London : Bliss, Sands, and Foster, 1896.) 

 A Hand-book to the Birds of Great Britairi. By R. 

 Bowdler Sharpe, LL.D., Assistant Keeper, Zoological 

 Department, British Museum. Vol. iii. Allen's 

 Naturalist's Library. Pp. xii + 338. (London : W. 

 H. Allen and Co., Ltd., 1896.) 

 " ' I 'HE \'ertebrate Fauna of the Moray Basin," by 

 -1- Messrs. Harvie-Brown and Buckley, is the latest 

 addition to the series being issued by them on the Verte- 

 brate fauna of .Scotland. They have already given us 

 the Vertebrate fauna of Sutherland, Caithness, and West 

 Cromarty ; of the Outer Hebrides ; of the Orkney Islands ; 

 and of -A.rgyll and the Inner Hebrides. When we get, 

 as we are promised before long, that of West Ross and 

 Skye, and of Shetland and Dee, the northern parts of 

 Scotland, so far as the section of its fauna with which 

 our authors concern themselves, will be complete. 



The area dealt with in the present volume is extensive, 

 embracing "all the country drained by the rivers flowing 

 into the Moray Firth . . . including the greater part of 

 Sutherland, Ross, Inverness . . . Banff, Moray and 

 Nairn." " We have endeavoured," say the authors, 

 "from within our own narrow horizons in this, as in 

 previous volumes of the series, to indicate the importance 

 of natural areas and boundaries as determining to a large 

 extent the faunal values." The greater part of the first 

 volume, therefore, describes the water system, topo- 

 graphy and physical features of the Moray Basin — 

 "whose landward portion [is] hemmed in by some of 

 the highest mountains of Scotland, and its seaward 

 area similarly enclosed by the funnel-shaped contours of 

 the shores" — and discusses the relation of these to the 

 resident and migrant species inhabiting it. Forty-two 

 species of mammals, 255 of birds, and nine of reptilia 

 and amphibia are enumerated from the Moray Basin, 

 with lengthy and valuable notes on their distribution, 

 dates of breeding, and haljits. No account is given of 

 the marine or fresh-water fishes, beyond incidental 

 mention, but we have an important chapter by Dr. 

 R. H. Traquair, F.R.S., on the extinct vertebrates found 

 in the different geological formations in the region, 

 NO. 1402, VOL. 54] 



illustrated by several plates of restorations of the fishes 

 for which the rocks of the Moray Basin are remarkable. 



Such small defects as a style somewhat discursive, and 

 sentences often rather involved and occasionally less 

 pellucid than could be desired, will be readily forgiven the 

 two naturalists who have laid their brethren under great 

 obligations by this addition, which can hardly be too 

 highly praised, to their valuable series of local faunas of 

 Scotland. In addition to the paUeontological plates, and 

 several of nests and nesting-places of birds, excellently 

 reproduced by process, these volumes are embellished 

 by a number of exquisite photogravures (by Annan, of 

 Glasgow) of scenery in the Moray region interesting tO' 

 the naturalist. No book deserves to be commended^ 

 even if good otherwise — which fails to provide a full 

 index and, where topography is dealt with, a good map. 

 Both are to be found in " The Moray Basin." The map, 

 which includes Scotland north of latitude 56!", by 

 Bartholomew, whose cartographical fame is world-wide, 

 is beautifully clear yet full of detail. For all that is 

 excellent in the publisher's art and craft, the name of 

 David Douglas, by whom these volumes are given out, 

 is sufficient guarantee ; and they are worthy companions 

 to their predecessors in the well-known sport and natural 

 history series, issued from Castle Street, Edinburgh. 



The book second on our list, by the brothers Kearton, 

 owes its existence to a series of photographs of British 

 birds' nests and eggs taken " in their natural situations 

 and surroundings." They claim theirs as "the first practical 

 attempt to illustrate a manual on the subject from photo- 

 graphs taken in situ" and characterise their pictures as 

 "unique." Surely we have before the appearance of this 

 volume had bird-articles illustrated by process blocks of 

 birds' nests and eggs in their natural situations ; and has 

 not Mr. Welch, of Belfast, published a charming series of 

 photographs of birds' nests taken also in situ ? The 

 manual before us, whose letter-press is from the pen 

 of Mr. R. Kearton, presents us with the species- 

 breeding in this country arranged in alphabetical order, 

 and gives a short description of the parent birds 

 (whose scientific names are, we regret to see, omitted),, 

 of the locality, situations and materials of the nest, and 

 of the colour and size of the eggs and their time of laying 

 — all sufficiently accurate, and of much value where the 

 authors speak from personal observation. The illustra- 

 tions, of which there are over a hundred, most of them well 

 printed, are from photographs by Mr. C. Kearton. They 

 by no means illustrate the nests of all the birds described 

 in the text ; but, on the other hand, those of many species 

 are given which few even of those who are bird-lovers 

 are likely ever to see unless they make a special journey 

 for that purpose. Mr. C. Kearton has spent an enormous 

 amount of time, energy and perseverance, and overcome 

 troubles and disappointments of no ordinary kind, and he 

 has bravely — occasionally foolhardily — hazarded his life,, 

 poised on the slender tops of high trees, or dangling from 

 the face of precipices, in obtaining illustrations for his 

 book. We agree with Dr. Sharpe, who, in the commenda- 

 tory preface by which he introduces our authors to the 

 public, remarks that the way in which they have overcome 

 the very serious difficulties presented by their task 

 " proves that in addition to the native British pluck, the 



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